The Brahmavaivarta Purana- Ganesa Khanda (Volume 80)

The first two khaas of the Brahmavaivarta Puraa (BvP) deal with Brahma and Prakti respectively. Both introduce the theology that enables Ka to be treated as identical to the supreme Brahma and as Viu/ Narayaa in all his forms. Ultimately everything goes back to Ka as the source of power and being, even including the mother goddesses who are so prolific in the text, not just in its second khaa. The fourth and final that treats the mythology of Ka himself, with a focus on his birth, and just before this comes the Gaapatikhaa (GKh).

GKh is one of the few maharajas that includes a separate khaa about Gaesa, with the exceptions being the two Gaapatya Puraas-the Gaesa and Mudgala Puraas-and the Vinayakamāhātmya of the Skanda Purana. When one reads the other three khaas of this Puraa, it is clearly evident that the GKh fits in perfectly with the principal themes of the entire Pura, all associated with Ka in his various manifestations and the theology of the mother goddess, especially Radha and Durga. In addition, it continues the practice in many of its chapters of expositing the application of kavacas, dhyānas, mantras and stotras, to the extent that the text is almost a handbook of devotional ritual.

What is striking about the GKh is that it is only incidentally about Gaeśa. Only less than ten percent of the entire text deals directly with Gaesa. It touches tangentially on his birth, the loss of his head and the gaining of an elephant head, his status as the first to be worshipped in all pujas, his loss of one of his tasks at the hands of Parasurama, and his cursing of the Tulasi plant.

The second half of the GKh is essentially a version of the Parasurama myth. This begins with the intention to tell a well-known episode about Gaesa reflected in his common name Ekadanta. This certainly offers a unique interpretation of it, focusing as it does on the morality of patricide and regicide, and relations between boys and their mothers.

Ka is treated in a manner that can only be called theological. Theologically it is simply stating that all power is located in Viu/Ka, but in this khaa, it is seemingly extended much more than elsewhere. In addition, he is usually depicted as located in Goloka and Vdávana, with the bucolic Ka receiving the most emphasis in the text. The sakti teachings in this text blend constantly with the Kaite teachings, to the point that both seem to empower each other. That Ka looms large is hardly a surprise given the BVP is substantially a Kaite Purǎa of 14th-15th century Bengal and then it could not have omitted existing material on the śakti, given the importance of other goddess worship in Bengal.

There have been two previous translations of the Brahmavaivarta Puraa. The present translation is a fresh translation but the translator has subsequently compared it with the earlier translations to remain transparent to the Sanskrit itself.

The third khanda of the Brahmavaivarta Purana is entitled Ganapatikhanda, indicating that its subject will be Ganapati or Gaṇeśa. It is one of the few mahapuranas that includes a separate khanda about Gaṇeśa, with the exceptions being the two Ganapatya Puranas - the Ganesa and Mudgala Puranas and the Vinayakamahatmya of the Shanda Purana. When one reads the other three khandas of this Purana, it is clearly evident that the GKh fits in perfectly with the principal themes of the entire Purana, all associated with Krsna in his various manifestations and the theology of the mother goddess, especially Radha and Durga (45, 27-46, where she is identified with all the other goddesses). In addition, it continues the practice in many of its chapters of expositing the application of kavacas, dhyanas, mantras and stotras, to the extent that the text is almost a handbook of devotional ritual. As such it defines the need for the prayer amulet (kavaca), in particular, how it should be performed/worn and the results of its application. In fact, the individual myths are reworked to facilitate this exposition of the kavaca. That the myths of Ganesa's birth and beheading are found in most other Puranas is entirely to be expected and seems to be noted by the BvP itself as it seems to have more references to the word Purana and the contents of such texts than other Puranas I have read.